Chapter 207
"Nothing comes easy, huh."
Han Yaseong let out a sigh before diving into the earth like he had no choice. With a flashlight clamped in his mouth, he dug through the dirt with both hands, burrowing in like a mole. He had to crawl more than five meters after digging for over an hour. Eventually, the tunnel widened into a vast underground chamber.
Han Yaseong poked his head out and shone the flashlight around. "Here it is. Cough..." Dust and dirt clogged his eyes, nose, and mouth, making everything uncomfortable. He climbed out into the spacious cavern, stood up, and brushed the soil from his face and clothes.
Shining the light again revealed the space in detail. It looked constructed from stone or bones—not a natural formation, but a man-made structure. Someone had built it. A passage led off to one side, and Yadong was nowhere in sight; he'd probably gone that way. Gripping his hand axe, Han Yaseong cautiously advanced down the passage, flashlight in hand. It felt like a dungeon, stirring a mix of tension and excitement.
As he trudged through the dark tunnel, faint scuffling sounds echoed ahead. Wary, he shone the light and pressed on until the passage opened into another wide space. In the pitch blackness, shadowy forms tussled chaotically. Were these underground monsters? He ducked beside the tunnel entrance, gripped his hand axe tightly, and peered closer with the flashlight.
Shapes darted through the beam—three or four of them, moving wildly and bumping into each other. What the hell were they? Han Yaseong focused the light. Glimpses of wild animals flashed by, too frantic to make out clearly. But one seemed to be Yadong. Watching longer, he saw three beasts ganging up on Yadong, who fought fiercely on his hind legs, taking hit after hit.
Han Yaseong couldn't help but shout in shock. "Yadong!"
Grrr—but Yadong was too locked in battle to notice. The other three ignored Han Yaseong entirely, focused on swarming Yadong. These must be the guardians who'd injured him before. They were Yadong's size but fiercer-looking, with longer ears and legs—not the same species.
Frustrated watching Yadong get pummeled, Han Yaseong hesitated to intervene. Yadong hadn't asked for help or waited for him; he'd come here alone to fight solo. Charging in uninvited felt wrong, so he kept observing from the light's edge.
Yadong boxed with his front paws raised, holding his own amid the scuffle. He was taking more hits, but not getting steamrolled. Nearby, though, the dagger from his foreleg lay dropped—probably lost mid-fight while holding it in his mouth. Han Yaseong edged closer to toss it over, but one guardian spotted him and snarled a warning: stay back.
The darkness made fighting risky; he might hit Yadong with the axe by mistake. Instead, he yelled, "Yadong! Grab the dagger with your mouth!"
But Yadong ignored the nearby blade, fighting bare-pawed. It felt like a deliberate choice—no weapons, even outnumbered three-to-one. Not heroic at all. Refusing arms while getting thrashed was insane. The four tangled in the shadows, tussling endlessly. They'd clearly fought like this before.
As time dragged, wounds mounted on all sides, slowing their movements. Exhausted, they could barely move. Han Yaseong, tired from watching, sat at the tunnel's end. The floor was man-made, but walls and ceiling were natural cave. Who built this? Giants from the temple? Another race? No answers yet.
The four panted, too spent to continue, yet it felt like an epic clash to them. Enough was enough. Han Yaseong stood and approached. "Cut it out, all of you. You can barely fight anymore."
Grrr—Yadong wouldn't yield, and the guardians barked kyak kyak, refusing defeat. These shihtzu-like beasts sure put on a show.
"Enough already. Eat this and recover your strength." He pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket, broke it into four pieces, and tossed them out. Yadong growled warily but snatched one, crunching it down. The others sniffed the sweet scent, hesitated, then cautiously grabbed and ate theirs.
Up close, their eyes were milky white, pupils gone—degenerated from life without light. "Why do you live down here?"
They just kyak kyaked incomprehensibly. Glancing at Yadong, he growled back—their exchange. The trio barked again, Yadong growled, tension rising for round two.
More of that endless brawl? "Stop it. Enough. You're all banged up."
They'd clawed each other with their nails, leaving gashes everywhere. No clear winner—similar wounds all around. Yadong had more, but three-on-one made it his victory, technically. With the dagger, he might've won easily.
Yadong finished his chocolate, picked up the dagger with his mouth, and strapped it back on. He'd fought unarmed on purpose. The others probably mocked him as cowardly for it—while ganging up themselves. Not noble beasts like the forest ones.
"Yadong, you got this here?" He pulled out the gold bar. The guardians' faces twisted; they kyak kyaked furiously—that's ours, hand it over.
Han Yaseong brandished his hand axe. "This is mine. Try taking it, and I'll bash you. Your call."
Kyak kyak! They raved but sensed the axe's sharp edge and backed off. Blind or not, they seemed to see somehow—maybe infrared vision. Unsettled, he pocketed the gold bar and gripped the axe tighter. Three against one axe meant playing it safe.
They kyaked more, then slunk toward the dark wall without fighting. The cavern was vast, shadowy, seemingly dropping endlessly below. They vanished into it.
Han Yaseong eyed Yadong licking his wounds. "Where'd you get this?"
Grrr—he glanced that way. The gold came from down there. Shining the light revealed no bottom—a deep, black abyss, maybe fifty or a hundred meters. Not straight vertical, but a steep 70-80 degree slope too risky to descend.
"From their lair?" Confirming meant going down, but falling to death? No way. Even with rope—from his bag topside—he didn't fancy that dark cliff. One slip, and splat.
Yadong wandered back toward the tunnel, uninterested. Han Yaseong followed, done being alone. They surfaced through the burrow. His bag waited, dusted with snow. Rope for later, maybe—but hassle. He'd marked the spot; that sufficed.
They left the area and returned to camp. Yadong chewed white fruit and smeared it on his wounds. That shihtzu had insane fight in him—taking three alone, unarmed even. Rivals or archenemies with those guardians. No real grudge, though—not using weapons suggested as much.